Families Return to Winthrop on Oct. 4 for a Special Day (09/23/25)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Family Day is one of the first chances families have to visit with their students after the new school year has started.
• Organizers look forward to showing off the campus in what is a beautiful time of year in Rock Hill.

ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA - One of the most popular weekends of the year will take place on Saturday, Oct. 4, when Winthrop University holds its traditional Family Day.

Organizers look forward to showing off the campus in what is a beautiful time of year in Rock Hill. "This is a chance for families to see the many opportunities available for their students to get involved in their major or with different organizations," said Miranda Knight, interim dean of students. "We'll have plenty of activities for families to enjoy their time together."

Begun by President Shelton J. Phelps in 1936, Family Day was revived in 2007 to become a fun-filled, engaging, and educational event for students and their families. It is one of the first chances families have to visit with their students after the new school year has started.

Family Day Schedule

Check-in for Family Day starts on Saturday, Oct. 4, from 9-10:30 a.m. in the West Center.

Families will receive a warm welcome from Provost Sebastian van Delden and Vice President for Student Affairs Shelia Burkhalter in McBryde Hall at 10:15 a.m.

Guests will then fan out across the campus to participate in one of six different academic showcases.

Between noon and 2 p.m., families are encouraged to make their way to the Byrnes Auditorium lawn for a welcome by President Edward Serna '02, picnic lunch and musical showcase featuring performances by various bands and musical ensembles from the Department of Music.

Several new attractions during the afternoon should fast favorites. There will be a 25-foot inflatable of Winthrop's beloved mascot Big Stuff, renamed "Huge Stuff" for this event, available for photos on the Campus Green. Legacy students and their families can participate in a scavenger hunt held at the Morgan-Holcombe Alumni Center.

Other activities include pumpkin or brownie decorating, caricature artist sketches, lawn games and button making, all on the Margaret Nance lawn. On the other side of campus, the Little Chapel will have an Archives exhibit to show off uniforms, scrapbooks, china, yearbooks and other memorabilia from Winthrop's past.

Inside activities include rock climbing and pickleball at the West Center, and trivia/bingo at The Edge in the DiGiorgio Campus Center. Families can help plant a tree or other plants with a project sponsored by the Office of Sustainability. Meanwhile over by the Winthrop Coliseum, there is a 2 p.m. men's soccer game versus Radford and a 6 p.m. women's soccer game versus the University of North Carolina Asheville.

To end the day between 4 and 5 p.m., families can gather at the Community Concourse to decorate a special flower pot for a plant to leave with their students.

Off campus, there are plenty of festivals to enjoy throughout the weekend, such as the Windy Hill Orchard & Cider Mill in York, the Cotton Hills Farm Fall Festivities in Chester; or SCarowinds where Carowinds is transformed from a theme park to a scream park.

Please check out the schedule here. Keep track of what is happening with the social media hashtag #WUFamilyDay2025.

For more information, e-mail the Office of New Student & Family Programs at [email protected].